lauren@vortex.UUCP (Lauren Weinstein) (04/21/84)
Greetings. I'm looking for several toys from the 60's. I'm afraid that the odds of my finding them are rather grim, but it seemed worth a try: 1) "Mr. Machine" -- this was a strange mechanical gadget (about one foot tall) which could be wound up and would roll around in an unusual fashion. It was particularly notable in that it could be completely disassembled (it was full of plastic gears and mechanisms) and reassembled by the user in just a few minutes. 2) "Hydro-Dynamic Building Set" (Remco? Eldon?) This nifty toy consisted of a base and plastic girders which could be snapped together to form a superstructure of the user's own design. A variety of plastic pipes, siphons, balance arms, valves, and other liquid-flow devices could then be placed within the superstructure as desired. One or two pumps would then pump colored water through the entire system. The concept was to simulate refineries/cracking plants. A simpler version of this sort of toy was put out by the same company -- it included the same sort of superstructure and let the user install exterior walls, doors, and windows to form a "skyscraper" of their own design. 3) "Robot Commando" -- this "robot" device was about two feet tall. It could be commanded to move in various directions, throw little plastic balls from its arms, or fire a rubber-tipped missile from inside its head. The control device was a mechanical remote control box at the end of a flexible cable. A pseudo-"voice control" feature allowed the user to start the robot's functioning by speaking loudly at the control unit -- a metal plate would respond to the user's breath and activate the main circuitry. If anyone out there has any of these toys hidden away in their basement, attic, or anywhere else, please get in touch with me. Thanks much. --Lauren-- {decvax, allegra, ihnp4, harpo, seismo, randvax}!vortex!lauren